The fifth stage of the Tour of Alberta was the longest section of this year's race. With continuous rain, wind and temperatures of 6 degrees Celsius the profile was flat, but it provided dirt roads on 19 of the 206 kilometers.
After a very hectic start, a group of six riders was formed. This time Dominik Nerz was part of the group of the day. 60 kilometers from the finish, the group split and Nerz fell back into the peloton. The field fell apart completely on the last dirt road section 40 kilometers from the finish, but BORA – ARGON 18 rode very attentive and was present with six riders in the front part.
Jan Barta jumped into a group that attacked and kept all tactical options for the finale. This group was caught with 20 kilometers to go and the field went on chasing the leader, who had a lead of less than two minutes. With Sam Bennett and five teammates in the field BORA – ARGON 18 worked for a bunch sprint.
When entering the finish laps on the last 10 kilometers, the entire field was misled due to lack of barriers and misguided vehicles ahead. While the soloist rode in front on the final laps, the field had to turn around and the race was neutralized after this point.
"The unfortunate circumstances prevented us from a top result for sure. Dominik has fought for a place in the group of the day. Thus, our team hadn’t to work in the chase and we could fully concentrate on the finale. After the last gravel section we were represented as one of the few teams with six riders including our sprint leader in a very small field. Jan has covered the attacks; the remaining riders took care of Sam. Unfortunately, it came not to a sprint, because the field was routed incorrectly. But even before, the race was already pretty chaotic and you always had the impression that the jury had lost track. Anyway, I must congratulate the team of Andreas Klier, because they deserved the win. It’s just a pity that everybody now asks the "What if?" question", Christian Pömer commented the day to remember.
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